Planar Speaker Asylum

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Planar Speaker Asylum

Why don't they Include proper stands for optimal performance?

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After owning mye stands for about almost a decade, I've come to realize that they are an indispensable part in attaining optimial sound from my 1.6. It seems that keeping the panels perfectly lateraly straight , not talking about tilt, (but I'm sure it must be just as Important) is criticaly important, but magnepan doesn't give any proper feet to achieve this very important task. You would think they would. Just saying. Love my mye stands! Even one degree off can destroy imaging IMHO.

Follow Ups:

Because.... - slapshot 17:18:29 10/28/16 (7)
...if they did that, Grant would have fewer things to do, and a bored Grant is a dangerous Grant! :)
- RE: Because.... - grantv 06:47:46 11/02/16 (3)
  True, but it's a rare occasion I ever get bored! Right now at my day job for example...
  There was 4 of us in engineering/estimating
  -Our estimator retired a couple months ago, as times are slow we didn't rehire = 3 of 4
  -#2 is having an operation that will put him out for 6 weeks starting today. He was postponed a couple times so we were not sure when he'd actually go in. Today is it = 2 of 4
  -A week ago #3 handed in his resignation, this coming Tuesday is his last day = 1 of 4; me. Ouch.
  
  Edits: 11/02/16
  - RE: Because.... - josh358 19:02:48 11/02/16 (0)
    Sounds like you could star in an Agatha Christie novel!
  - So... - slapshot 14:56:30 11/02/16 (1)
    ...what I hear you saying is that working with you is hazardous! :)
    - RE: So... - grantv 12:03:23 11/03/16 (0)
      I never thought about it being my fault! :)
- RE: Because.... - rosendds@frontiernet.net 03:54:43 10/31/16 (2)
  Has anybody made DIY stands for 1.7's?
  - a better link - Green Lantern 19:53:59 11/05/16 (0)
    You need'nt go far; click on the link and go about 1/2 down the page to mounts
    
    That integracoustics link below is a take on my own design (well at least the 'grip' anyway) I built way back in '03. There's a wide variety of other styles and designs.
    
    The 1.7 from what I hear is a great design but I doubt if there will ever be another magnificent panel as the 1.6 was/is.
  - RE: Because.... - josh358 12:54:38 10/31/16 (0)
    http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=128496.0
    
    Here are some for the 1.6's -- you might have to mod them though if you have the aluminum rails:
    
    http://www.integracoustics.com/MUG/MUG/tweaks/anonymous/panstands/
    
    I'm sure you can find other projects, and then there are the Mye Stands and Sound Anchors if you want something fancier.
Same reason they don't optimize everything in the unit. - kff 20:25:53 10/25/16 (1)
Magnepan has always been value for the money not the best thing out there. It has been discussed since the 80s or earlier why they didn't use the best parts for every part of the speaker. Price/Performance ratio was the reason. How many would pay twice as much for some of the 1 or 2 series speakers if they had all the good components in them? Would they still be the value they were/are? How many would hear the difference when considering purchasing a pair against a competitive speaker in the soundroom.
- RE: Same reason they don't optimize everything in the unit. - BDP24 20:43:28 10/25/16 (0)
  I think the situation/arrangement of Magnepan building their speakers to a price point, with "perfectionists" wanting even higher performance modifying them, is a fine one. It's just like Chevy hot-rodders bolting a blower onto the stock 350 small block engine, increasing the engine's compression, upgrading the suspension and/or brakes, etc.
  
  Edits: 10/25/16 10/26/16
I like the stock stands! - RealStereo 17:51:44 10/25/16 (2)
I am a contrarian regarding Mye stands.
I think they dampen the frame too much, yielding a more punchy, (but tighter) bass, with a drier, less tone, and less full quality.
May sound better with some rock, but worse with acoustic cello, upright bass, and drums. IMO! YMMV!

Our stereos do not add any distortion to your music, and they do not take any away! Old Sony Ad.

Edits: 10/25/16
- RE: My mileage does indeed vary!! :-)) ... - andyr 18:39:53 10/27/16 (1)
  Braced stands are a necessity IMO (although I don't use Mye stands). IMO they do not damp the stock MDF frames one bit - they merely reduce the amount of back-and-forth sway, the panels can do. And this sway is reduced to zero when you replace the stock MDF frames with hardwood frames - which I suspect is not something you will ever try?
  
  I curious to know whether you have a tube amp driving your Maggies?
  
  Andy
  - RE: My mileage does indeed vary!! :-)) ... - ghost4man 14:17:28 11/02/16 (0)
    100% agree with Andy on this.
    
    I have personally replaced both the stock MDF frames AND incorporated metal stands into the picture and see huge value.
    
    Maggies are built to a price point. The principle distributor of Maggies here in Australia once said to me that you get a lot of speaker for the price you pay for a pair of maggies.
    
    I recently listened to a pair of 40k B&W speakers and would have no hesitation in keeping my Tympanis.
    
    Pound for pound I think they would be up there.
RE: Why don't they Include proper stands for optimal performance? - Satie 22:23:05 10/22/16 (0)
As pointed out by others, though bracing is universally recognized as a necessary upgrade for maggies, the fact remains that it ruins the visuals on the thin planar and makes it (1) more costly to build and heavier, (2) a difficult sale for WAF. Making a more expensive but less marketable product is a no go for a commercial business, no matter how much higher the demonstrable performance. It would have been nice for magnepan to offer an upgrade stand with their own stamp of approval, but you can't sell that as the few remaining buyers would consider a stand less speaker "incomplete". So they are better off letting the aftermarket suppliers like Mye stands, and Soundachors and Lead Baloon of old do their best for those who have more aesthetically forgiving environments,
RE: Why don't they Include proper stands for optimal performance? - Green Lantern 05:58:03 10/22/16 (0)
The stock stands on the MG1.6 and higher models keeps them straight. The struts seen here I added after the fact.
*sorry for the poor quality pic, taken from a low end digital camera long before cell phones offered them!

Edits: 10/22/16 10/22/16
RE: Why don't they Include proper stands for optimal performance? - josh358 05:12:58 10/22/16 (4)
Back when I had MMG's I also found that lateral positioning improved imaging. However, there's a tradeoff here, in that the short speakers (MMG's and 1.x) freq response can go off if you don't tilt them back so the listener is on axis.

Also, while metal stands improve the sound, they add weight and cost and reduce wife acceptance factor, so I think it makes more sense for them to let the customer add them if he wants.
- RE: Why don't they Include proper stands for optimal performance? - Audiolover718 06:51:08 10/22/16 (3)
  For sure on the MMG'S. I actually have my 1.6 tilted down due to my listening position. Whatever mechanism used, keeping them perfectly laterally parallel to each other, regardless of front or rear tilt is crucial. I just "tuned up" my sound as my floor has settled over the years and found that one Maggie had shifted to the right about 1 degree, and the other left about one degree, and once corrected they simply imaged better and soundstaging became much more coherent. It's hugely important to keep the sides squared up vs. Trapezoidal or parallegram. I would not be able to have done this with the stock feet, and wouldn't have anywhere near the magical sound. Unless your floor is absolutely perfect, which many of us don't have, the stock feet will almost surely keep the speakers from delivering.
  - RE: Why don't they Include proper stands for optimal performance? - josh358 08:02:50 10/22/16 (2)
    I know what you mean -- my floor is absolutely awful, that side of the house is sinking because there's a rotten beam in the frame. Check out the right hand woofer panels, they're actually leaning against the mantle:
    
    For now, I got some stuff to shim the feet with and once I know where the speakers are going to live I'll do something more permanent, and brace the woofers as well.
    - RE: Why don't they Include proper stands for optimal performance? - Audiolover718 08:51:42 10/22/16 (1)
      Exactly josh! 1-2� off can really throw of the sound. I was actually quite startled at the improvement after squaring them up.
      
      Edits: 10/22/16
      - RE: Why don't they Include proper stands for optimal performance? - josh358 11:21:06 10/22/16 (0)
        
        In Reply to: RE: Why don't they Include proper stands for optimal performance? posted by Audiolover718 on October 22, 2016 at 08:51:42
        
        I bought a laser measure for doing that and now I can't find it! How the hell can you lose a laser measure?

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